5 WORST Foods I've EVER Freeze Dried 😱

[@tonyapatterson-rector6609]

I discovered that laying a sheet of parchment paper on top of any food or candy I put in my freeze dryer prevents the “blow outs” from being a horrible cleaning issue. The ones on Amazon made for my trays are perfect as they are already cut to fit 😊

[@ValStilwell]

Thank you!

[@LauraHickmanLauraHickman]

This is what i do too. Especially with any new candy experiment.

[@allyn1016]

That's a great idea thanks for sharing

[@jenk001]

What I love about your channel is you're genuine. You really are too hard on yourself. We love you!

[@DIYfreezedry]

@@jenk001 ❤️ I appreciate that!

[@ambiy05]

I did pickles in our freeze dryer and they were a hit! It could be fun to try different brands of pickles and different slices to see what works for you. DON'T FREEZE DRY PICKLE JUICE! 😅 Ask me how I know lol. What I freeze dried though were Clausen Dill Pickle sandwich slices and I love putting them on sandwiches like a version of a potato chip! My husband hates how soggy pickles make sandwiches so it's a great option! Here's to a better freeze drying year in 2025 🎉

[@DIYfreezedry]

@@ambiy05 love the idea of freeze dried pickles on a sandwich! Haha pickle juice 😆

[@wannabecraftygrandma]

Make sure hard shells get broken beforehand. Either pierce like you have to do with blueberries or grapes, or cut in half or pieces and give them a try!

[@carebear8146]

Love your videos! You are a breath of fresh air!

[@DIYfreezedry]

@@carebear8146 thanks 😊 u the best!

[@ShutterEmotions123]

I have learned so much from your channel! Your videos are awesome! I ordered a pack of parchment paper from your link.

[@motrwithmary6531]

Thanks!

[@motrwithmary6531]

Love your videos and you and yours are fun to watch! A few tips with gummy bears: try Albanese True to Fruit gummy bears, 1 min tray warm, 135 temp no freeze. They get big but not too big and they have an amazing taste verses other gummy bears that have dried. With the things that do puff up too large, you can leave the pieces in put them into small mylar bags, hole punch at the top of the bag above the seal, use ribbon to attach a sucker, “Fish food” aka better version of fun dip. The name sounds gross but you know the flakes look like beautiful fish food and the sucker makes it a fun thing for the kids. They'll be gone in a flash at 4-5 each. Merry Yule and Happy nearly New Year!

[@DIYfreezedry]

@@motrwithmary6531 thank you so much! And thx for the gummy bear tips that will help! Fish food is so cute!

[@martinmyers1113]

We did canned pickle spears and chips that were canned by my mother in-law, this allowed for lower salt content and my wife loves them. Another great video! You're the best...Thank You

[@InceleHubby]

Appreciate your honesty (jokes not so much, lol) our pickle experience was similar. Our caramel M&Ms were inconsistent, half didn't burst, still people liked them. Your hair is amazingly beautiful, static or not. Thanks for sharing the information

[@DIYfreezedry]

@@InceleHubby you’re so sweet thank you! I’m determined to get those pickles to turn out

[@texasnurse]

I freeze dried the spicy pickle slices I got from Costco. They did great.

[@DIYfreezedry]

@@texasnurse ok I’ve gotta try again

[@Retromoose2000]

Happy new years my friend hope u guys are getting ready for 2025 😊 also i did talk to Nikki from off grid style she did mention your channel also ill been a prepper for also 20 year's

[@flowerofson-shine3539]

It's so much easier when you fail first!! 😮😂 (and succeed first) Thank you. You have helped immensely many times. Love you!

[@DIYfreezedry]

@@flowerofson-shine3539 I’m so glad thank you!

[@wannabecraftygrandma]

Mmm pickles! Those would be incredible in egg salad :) You can just break one up into powder for and sprinkle it on a salad.

[@JenHomesteadingRN]

Very timely video...I'm just on my way to b's to pick up some stuff to freeze dry. So far I've only done the bread run and some Skittles for my kids' stockings. I want to do a bunch of fruits. I was going to look around for more stuff and now I know what to avoid!! Thank you!!!!

[@sherriruiz339]

I tried freeze drying tamales one time too and it did nothing. but, since then, I tried lemon heads and the little red hots. I put them in the oven , I think about 250 for just a little bit to warm them up and they turned out great. I haven't tried doing that to the tamales, but maybe it would work? I tried dill pickles one time, just the chips. They turned out good but wow were they salty. So I used them to make dip, but, I won't do them again because none of my family liked them lol...Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year..God bless you all..Sherri-Idaho

[@DIYfreezedry]

@@sherriruiz339 I did try warming the tamales and Nothing still - but that’s great tip for lemon heads! Yes super salty!! Did you rinse them first? I’ve heard that helps with the salt…. Merry Christmas to you too!

[@John-m1r8h]

Check out Phil at 4800. The cider will probably work, but in the 100% cider state it’s too much sugar, but if you do a breakdown of 1 part cider mixed with 2 parts water. The water will allow the sugars to spread out and not be so concentrated. Just saying, Phil is very informative and I know how to make freeze dried chocolate and peanut butter

[@juliabrown5948]

Yes I love his channel!!

[@iwillitryican]

Can you share how you freeze dry chocolate and peanut butter successfully?

[@sheri6901]

From the very little I know about freeze drying (only been doing it for a year and mostly candy) no clue about the hot dogs, don't tray warm gummies, add water to cider too much sugar need to water it down, the next candy some people get it to work after an oven warm first, not a pickle person don't know anything about those I just can bread & butter ones. Love watching what you do!! (yes, I was commenting along with the video lol)

[@DIYfreezedry]

@@sheri6901 awesome tips 👏 thanks for watching!

[@MichelleAnn-g7f]

I did the pickle chips and they were too salty so I’m going to try the rinse technique you mentioned! Btw I used your link when I purchased my freeze dryer a month ago

[@KitchenFairy61]

I haven't done any candy yet. I've had my HR freeze dryer since June. I've done a lot of chicken, pork carnitas and ground beef.

[@lulamamie8524]

I tried pumpkin spiced caramels. I cut them in half placed the on the trays with space to puff up. Well let me tell you that experiment was an epic fail!! They exploded all over the inside of the freeze dryer. All over it 😮. Wow that took me some time to clean up 😑😵‍💫😂 Definitely not trying that again 😆 Lesson learned! I did place an order through your link to Freeze Drying Supplies. One of the items I purchased was 2 of their Freeze Dryer Rack Cleaning Brush. Hopefully this will make another epic fail cleanup easier 😅 Happy New Year 🎈🥳 to you and your family! I loved your Christmas card and family picture ❤

[@DIYfreezedry]

@@lulamamie8524 oh I hadn’t even seen their cleaning brushes I’m gonna check those out! Thanks for using my link so appreciate that!

[@jenk001]

@@lulamamie8524 These were my husband's absolute favorite! Werther's soft caramels from Dollar Tree. Cut into thirds.

[@corinnemaldonado439]

I talked to someone at a vendor market who had lots of candy that didn't work for me. She said she runs the full cycle, not the candy mold. I haven't tried it yet, so I don't know if my fails would work full cycle, but that is what she does.

[@judyblaise1639]

Brooke, on the apple cider add water to thin down sugar in liquid. Someone did that with apple juice and orange juice etc. when rehydrating use just enough water to make it taste normal. On the dill pickle do try chips and rinse and rinse, make sure you have regular dill pickles (no garlic, etc. FD makes the spices become so concentrated). Love your videos…

[@DIYfreezedry]

@@judyblaise1639 oh sweet great tip!! Thanks for sharing!! I’m definitely gonna try re doing the pickles !

[@Thenagymom]

That's a crunchy bear. 😂 I think you sent me a goody bag a while back and I forgot to thank you. Love your channel and thank you!

[@MamaLee5]

I don’t know if this would work but I was thinking if you cut the hot dogs into rounds and make it part of a Mac n cheese MRE that it might work better? Has anyone in the chat did this?

[@SasssyPie]

I wonder….if you laid parchment paper on top of “questionable” items, would it prevent some cleanups?

[@DIYfreezedry]

@@SasssyPie yes! I have had other suggest that too - great idea

[@stevenfeil7079]

Hot Tamales need to be cut in half, heated in the oven until they are super soft and then completed in test mode. Same with Red Hots. Red Hots turned out quite a bit better.

[@janicerowberry7966]

I tried pickles also and they were gross. My family love dill pickles, but everyone didn't like them so I threw them away 6 trays. I'm still learning never thought to powder them .

[@DIYfreezedry]

@@janicerowberry7966 such a bummer when you have to throw it away. Yeah powdering was good at least - I want to try again and see if I can get them less strong

[@SasssyPie]

I did sliced dill chips, and I threw them all away too!

[@anthonycusaac2429]

Look at John in Bibs channel. He has solved a few freeze dried problems. Noodles so they won’t be chewy, bbq sauce, ketchup, vinegar. All kinds of things.

[@carole6779]

Ha! Great overview. I have not tried candy yet, but the Harvest Right people say that the Black Forest brand of gummy bears are the ones that do best. 🤷‍♀ My sisters have requested pickle chips, so that will be on the "sooner than later" list, lol. Maybe next week. Thanks for sharing all your tips and also many thanks for the ongoing inspiration. Love your cheerful perspective! 💖😄👍

[@scottg5588]

Did you try to rehydrate the pickles at all?

[@carlasenecal3434]

I had gummy worms that I cut in half first. The front half of the tray turned out perfect. But the back half were wierd and still gummy......not sure why that happened.

[@rebeccal2771]

Maybe rotate your trays half way through.

[@reneebeam426]

Could the hotdogs be eaten dry like jerky? I haven't done it, but i hear that Black Forest brand gummy bears do better, maybe with no tray warm? Apple cider - the Sam's brand had an additive to it, wonder if yours did too. I would probably try diluting additive free cider and freeze in silicone molds and then put on parchment to keep from sticking. In the candy group I learned that if a candy has modified food starch in the first 4 or 5 ingredients it won't work and any wheat in the candy (licorice) won't work. I even tried different brands of pickle, rinsed them first, still threw them all out - was like eating a salt lick. Sweet pickles don't work bcs of the sugar - they just get pliable. Now, I only rinsed my pickle chips once, so maybe there is hope. I had wondered about a fresh pickle style - like grillo's brand, I will throw one on my next tray that has a little space and let you know. My worst were the blue and white gummy sharks, which blew up worse than your gummy bears and the plum sauce, which blew up into a mess! I think i might have figured out the plum sauce though, a few more tests needed.

[@mrmcclung]

I can't remember either, if the hot tamales have to be prewarmed like Lemonheads, or smushed a bit like the Carmel M&M's... to get a consistent batch Edit; I'm wondering if whole pickles run lengthways thru a slicer into a strainer & rinsed would work better for You 🤞

[@stevenfeil7079]

Gummy bears are easy peasy. NO WARMING TIME NEEDED.

[@carolyns1131]

I put too many milk duds on a tray and they were like your gummy bears…one solid sheet poofing out all sides!

[@wannabecraftygrandma]

Cut those in 4ths and leave space. Milk duds are incredible freeze dried :)

[@iwillitryican]

I wonder if all beef hot dogs would work?

[@DIYfreezedry]

@@iwillitryican these were Costco “all beef” hot dogs but nothing fancy. Still were just super greasy inside 😆

[@Msheather0109]

Try hot water to re hydrate the hot dog or anything with fat. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@SasssyPie]

The only success I’ve had with hot dogs, is penny sliced and FD with Pork and beans, or baked beans….and, I still wouldn’t trust them for very long!

[@leedavis6354]

All natural gummy bears did not the ones that are chock full of chemicals and artificial coloring

[@brianschindler1511]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@PamCook-w1v]

Try pre-freeze. I pre-freeze 100 %.

[@DIYfreezedry]

@@PamCook-w1v I do when I remember or have room in my freezer! I agree it’s better to pre freeze!

[@PamCook-w1v]

@DIYfreezedry I only have half of my refrigerator freezer space available. I fill a Mainstay 7.6" x 7.6" x 1.8" nonstick cake pan with 500 grams each of whatever I'm freezing. Two pans fill up one tray. I put parchment paper between each pan, etc. Works well for me and solves my fridge freezer space dilemma 😅! By doing this, you can prefreeze, then freeze dry as you have freeze dryer space. I put 2-3 "blocks" in a freezer bag.

[@stevenfeil7079]

I will NEVER do pickles. Too many confirmed stories of destroyed vacuum pumps.

[@DawnaRo]

Pickle chips work better and I've done both sweet and regular. But I still just don't like them! The flavor is waaaay to strong.

[@CarolAnnette1227]

I just bought 2 packs of mylar bags using your HR affiliate link. I don't know if it helps you at all.....

[@danhandke5012]

👍❤️🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼👍

[@motrwithmary6531]

Love your videos and you and yours are fun to watch! A few tips with gummy bears: try Albanese True to Fruit gummy bears, 1 min tray warm, 135 temp no freeze. They get big but not too big and they have an amazing taste verses other gummy bears that have dried. With the things that do puff up too large, you can leave the pieces in put them into small mylar bags, hole punch at the top of the bag above the seal, use ribbon to attach a sucker, “Fish food” aka better version of fun dip. The name sounds gross but you know the flakes look like beautiful fish food and the sicker makes it a fun thing for the kids. They'll be gone in a flash at 4-5 each. Merry Yule and Happy nearly New Year!